decorating

A blank check for a budget and complete creative license: sounds like a decorating dream, no? Yet for many dot com millionaires throughout the city the prospect of decorating a home is as unappealing as... well, probably as the idea of hours of writing code is to the rest of us. The 'task' then naturally gets outsourced to someone else; in this case, it's interior designer to the (pixelated) stars, Ken Fulk.

The SF Chron has been tearing it up lately with their Stylemaker Spotlight column. Every week or so a local interior designer is featured, some of whom are up-and-coming, others who've made their mark on the city for a while. In addition to providing a bit of background on how they got into the business, each also hands down some advice on how to decorate your space like a professional. We're particularly loving the 'Cheat Sheet' section, where the designers share their favorite local resources and tips on creating a unique space.

This is a trend that's been around for a while now, and also one that we go back and forth on all the time. Letters and words around the home (whether in the form of decals, vintage marquee letters, or old printing press parts, etc) can be a nice decorative touch when done right, or can come off as kind of hokey and staged when done wrong. Our pet peeve would be words that tell you what to do in relation to the room, such as "eat" in the kitchen, or "relax" in the bedroom. We can usually manage that without the visual cue, thank you. However, a letter or two (perhaps your initials?) or a word or phrase with personal meaning can look great. We also like how the letters for "love" in this photo are kind of broken up amongst the coves above, adding some more visual interest.